Creation Vs Curation
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 8:09PM 
Shout out to @DanaMLewis for pointing out this post from Mashable entitled, "Why Curation Is Just As Important As Curation." When people are starting out in social media creation, whether it be blogging, or podcasting, or whatever - the phrase always comes up - "Content Is King." But is content really king anymore?
Now, I certainly wasn't the first physician blogger, but I would probably consider myself "in those early days." I mean, starting in 2006 was a few years ago. Back then, writing every single day was imperative. And, the way that you were judged were the amount of comments that you received. I mean, this was in the days before facebook and twitter, when the comment section of the blog was the only way to give feedback publically.
Back then, the way to make a name for yourself was to have the home base of the blog, and that's how people knew you. Now, with so much content out there, people are overwhelmed and just cannot read everything that they want to read. I definitely can relate to this.
Now, many people are becoming "internet famous" by just sharing through their twitter or facebook stream - the items which they think are important. Maybe, sometimes, not even creating a bit of content on their own. Does this make them a second class citizen in the social media world - not anymore.
I agree with the assertion that being the "information maven" - meaning evaluating social media information - meaning being a curator - instead of a social media creator - this will be very important in the days ahead. Am I wrong, let me know in the comments below - or on twitter, or on facebook, or other social media way...
Reader Comments (8)
Mike,
Well said! 100% agree that curation is not a second-class citizen to creation - which is why I've never had a problem not having my own blog. I feel like Twitter & other avenues (engaging on existing platforms, so to speak) are equally effective. And, everyone does it differently - so there's not really one right or wrong way to do social media. Thanks for your thoughts on this & being open to engaging on a number of social platforms!
Dana commented on my blog post! YAY! I'm honored. Thanks for curating the info and pointing out the great article. You rock!
Another good example of original reporting on the topic was in the LA Times story about how USC journalism student are learning to both create and curate content.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-onthemedia-20110323,0,7518391.column
I personally have stopped going to the HuffPost after they pulled in millions on the mostly free content of others. I'm choosing to support content creators.
Loved this post. I had a chance to hear Shel Holtz talk about this at a recent Ragan PR SM conference via webcast. He talked about how curation is becoming huge for big brands like Intel--helping customers sift through all the information that's out there. Healthcare would seem to lend itself to that really well and it's sure becoming hot with sites like Organized Wisdom. And I think it probably can help with "personal brands" a.k.a. people too. But I think one of the best curators out there is @KentBottles, and he produces some great content as well. I still believe in content :)
Jackie Fox
Author, "From Zero to Mastectomy: What I Learned And You Need to Know About Stage 0 Breast Cancer"
Hi Jackie - Thanks so much for your comment. I have seen people like KevinMD evolve, in that at the beginning of his blog, he was the principal writer. Now, he has incorporated a lot of guest posters - kind of like being a curator. And, I guess with my re-branding, I am trying to position myself for something similar - in my content area of Family Medicine. This is why social media is so exciting - things are changing so quickly. It's exciting! Thanks again!
I'm still trying to create, but it certainly is easy to read and tweet or facebook what you see and like. Done well this curation has some value, but it's far overdone.
Mike, thank you, I forgot all about Kevin MD and he's one of my favorites!!! He's used some of my stuff too! Yikes! Thanks for the education on how his blog has evolved.
I would love to get your opinion on something (and anyone else who's following this thread.) I was contacted by a website called Opposing Views--they seem to be going after the Huff Post space--and they asked to use my blog posts because they're trying to beef up their health content. I said yes but I have mixed feelings. Not sure I'm getting anything out of it, and I don't feel as good about being there as I do when I'm on kevinmd. The only reason I'm still on it is I see they're also posting Dear Thyroid, which I like a lot, so I feel like I'm in good company.
Any and all opinions are welcome--thank you!!!!
@Jackie - I've been thinking about this most recent comment. Maybe I'm just paranoid about things, but if I do not feel completely comfortable with the site, then I don't give permission for my content to be there. When I have given permission, I have to be honest, I did not get a lot of traffic pushed my way - so not really a lot of benefit for me - but my post could be generating hits for them.
Now, an entirely different issue are sites just outright stealing my content and posting it up on their site. RSS feeds are a great way to get your content out there. But, RSS feeds can also give a steady stream of content to any website that wants it. Just something to think about